Basketball Defeats Bethany in Double Digits

With all but one player scoring at least one point and the Broncos posting 46 in the first half, Santa Clara defeated Bethany 87-57 on Monday night. The 46 points were was the most first half points scored since the Broncos sunk 46 in the first half vs. Northern Colorado on Nov. 23, 2010. It was the first time the Broncos posted 40 points in back to back 1st halves since SCU scored 42 vs. Gonzaga on Feb. 12, 2007 then 42 vs. San Diego on February 17, 2007 (both wins).

Bronco head coach Kerry Keating has a career record of 12-1 when the Broncos score 80 plus points. Santa Clara plays the University of San Francisco on January 8th at the Leavey Center in both teams' conference openers at 8:00 PM (Comcast Calif. TV). Santa Clara is 9-7 and Bethany is 0-13.

Santa Clara shot 47.8 percent from the field (32 of 67) and 35.3 percent beyond the arc (12 of 34). The Broncos collected 47 rebounds, 23 assists, 14 steals, five blocks and had 19 turnovers. They were 11 of 17 from the free throw line. Bethany shot 33.3 percent from the field (15 of 45) and 35.3 percent beyond the arc (6 of 17). The Bruins collected 25 rebounds, six assists, eight steals, one block and had 23 turnovers. They were 21 of 29 from the free throw line.

Individually, Kevin Foster led the Broncos with 19 points, four assists and two rebounds. Marc Trasolini finished with the 15 points shooting 6 of 8 from the field. Evan Roquemore added eight points and five assists.

Bethany was led by the 18 points of Evan Fletscher and the seven rebounds and 17 points of Marqus Crawford. Milton Brown added 11 points and four rebounds.

The Bruins scored the first points of the game banking a three-pointer in as the shot clock expired at 19:21, but Ben Dowdell responded for the Broncos with a quick bucket to make it 2-3 Bethany. On the next possession, Dowdell repeated to bring it to 4-3, and after a steal and a three-pointer at the top of the arch from Evan Roquemore the score was 7-3.

Bethany's Fletscher hit his second three-pointer at 15:46, which prompted a full time out from Keating at 15:06. MacArthur hit two free throws out of the time out, and Bethany sunk a three pointer from the right side of the arch at 14:40. After Kevin Foster's three pointer rimmed out, Marc Trasolini tipped in the rebound to bring the total to 13-9.

Troy Payne stole the ball and fed it to Roquemore in the front court who lobbed it to Trasolini for the one-handed dunk at 13:04 to bring the score to 15-9. Kevin Foster hit a deep three from the left side of the arch at 11:51 to make it 18-9 Broncos. Foster blocked Bethany's shot out of bounds at 10:05, but Bethany scored off the inbounds play to make it 19-11. Roquemore hit a three-pointer the following possession to give the Broncos a 22-11 lead.

Bethany went to the line at 9:22 hitting both free throws, but Dowdell pushed it up the floor and laid it in to bring the score to 24-13. Santos fed Trasolini at the free throw line, and with a dribble drop step laid it in to make it 26-15. On the following possession, Trasolini was fouled on the lay in and after the old fashioned three-point play, made it 29-15.

After a pair of free throws, Bethany made it 29-17. Trasolini went to the line after being fouled attempting to tip in Foster's missed three and sunk both making it 31-17. Santos fed Foster, who hit a three from the baseline. After collecting a defensive rebound that next possession, MacArthur ran the floor to make a contested lay in and sink the free throw.

Foster hit his third three from the left side of the arch to make it back to back games that the Broncos have scored 40 points in the first half. Harrison's steal at the top of the three put him on the line at the other end where he sank both free throws to make the score 42-19. Phillip Bach checked in the game at 3:02, and the Broncos defense immediately forced a shot clock violation.

Bethany hit a three at 2:02, but Harrison responded with rim shattering dunk on the next possession. The Broncos pushed the ball up the floor and after three swift passes, Payne tipped in the missed shot to bring the Bronco's lead to 46-22. After a pair of Bethany free-throws the score at half time was 46-24.

First Half Recap:

Santa Clara shot 55.2 percent from the field (16 of 29) and 35.7 percent beyond the arc (5 of 14) . The Broncos collected 21 rebounds, 14 assists, 10 steals, four blocks and had 11 turnovers. They were 9 of 13 from the free throw line . Bethany shot 31.6 percent from the field (6 of 19) and 44.4 percent beyond the arc (4 of 9). The Bruins collected nine rebounds, four assists, five steals, zero blocks and had 15 turnovers. They were 8 of 11 from the free throw line.

In the second half, Cowels opened up with an on ball steal, which led to a Foster baseline three-pointer. Dowdell picked up a steal of his own the next possession, and Foster repeated with three-pointer this time from the left side of the arch to make it 52-24. Foster pulled up from the same spot a top the key next time up the floor, and hit his third three on the third offensive possession of the half.

On the next possession, Foster fed Cowels who penetrated to the free throw line and sunk a pull up jump shot to bring it to 57-24. After swinging the ball around the horn, Bethany hit a three pointer from the baseline bringing the score to 57-29. Trasolini slammed in a missed Foster three pointer, and after a Bronco defensive stop, ran the floor to lay it in on the fast break. Bethany completed a three-point play on the next possession after a Santa Clara foul underneath the basket, but Roquemore took a defensive charge on the block the next possession to give the Broncos the ball with a 61-32 lead.

Bethany entered into Bonus at 12:29, and Santa Clara ended its three minute scoreless streak with a MacArthur drop-step lay in at 12:14. Bethany's Fletscher hit his third three of the game at 10:43, but Chris Cunningham tipped in Payne's missed shot to make it 65-36. After a pair of Payne free-throws, Bach checked in again at 8:31 and fed Harrison under the basket to make it 69-43 Broncos. At 6:35 Bach stole the ball and deftly laid it in on the breakaway. Santos fed Cunningham on the break who grabbed his own rebound to even up the previous Bethany free-throws.

It was time for the Gold Team to close it out. At 4:29 Nate Mensah checked in to the game, hit a baseline three off a feed from Bach, and forced a Bethany turn over. Kyle Perricone and Beau Gamble joined the other Gold Team members at 3:49. Beau Gamble hit a three-pointer at 2:54 following three Bronco offensive rebounds. Kyle Perricone got a three-pointer of his own from the baseline at 2:07. Phillip Bach tipped in his own rebound, and on the next possession Gamble hit his second three-pointer from the top right side of the arch. A Bethany steal and lay in made the final score 87-57.